Apple Juice
Once upon a time there was a girl. This girl lived in an apple orchard and collected apples by way of living. Any time she was hungry she went and picked an apple. Any time she wanted to buy something, she went and traded her apples. Sometimes there were only a few apples to pick and sometimes there were many. So life became pretty predictable and she was comfortable with her orchard.
Then came a boy, he was the most handsomest boy. He traveled far and left his home of mostly barren trees. He had his own orchard of apples and plenty of apple seeds to plant more apple trees. They fell in love. They shared their love of freedom in the fields, the love of juicy red apples, the love of trading apples for land, toys, and silly stuff for each other. They got married.
They didn't have too many apples in their orchard in the beginning, but they didn't need them. They had enough to live on their land, enough to eat, enough to trade for the goods and stay happy together. They both had some apple deficits, some people that they owed some apples to. But since there weren't too many apples in their orchard they would pay what they could and live on the rest. Pretty quickly her apple deficit was gone. Now all that was left to tackle was his.
Then, THEN, there was a season of a outpouring of apples. They would wake up in their orchard and there would be apples all over the place. They would spend their days running around and collecting all the apples. They were so pleased and full. They would wake up the next day to more apples and more apples and spend longer days out in the field collecting all the apples. He would bring home HUGE piles of apples and she would bring home all that she could hold.
He then began separating the apples of which ones we could keep and which ones were to go to those they owed. She said no, lets pick out which ones to keep and with whats left give to those who we owe. They had very different opinions of what to do with this new outpouring of apples. He would say "They aren't really our apples if someone could come and take them" and she would say "But we don't know if these trees are going to keep producing these apples, we need to have some set aside". This argument continued for months. Even years. To where finally she had her pile and he had his.
Don't think that this ruined their love for each other. They were very much happy with their situation. She got what she wanted, he got what he wanted. He would sometimes watch her come home with "stuff" and see that her pile of apples was getting low. He would think it was foolish. But she knew that it was temporary and that in no time that pile would be overflowing again. She would watch him hand apples to family and friends. He would even come home with extravagant things for her and she would love them, but she would notice that his pile of apples were never going down. She thought "he must be borrowing apples. Why would he be borrowing apples if he said he wants to get rid of his borrowers?" but then would shrug her shoulders and focus on her pile.
Mostly their days were filled with running around for hours grasping apples anywhere they could see them. They would come home and pour their findings into their piles and then join hands and love each other passionately.
She could tell he wasn't happy picking the apples from the orchard he was in. She knew that every day he woke up that he wasn't looking forward to going out and picking apples. She would think "maybe if I run all day from tree to tree that I could pick enough apples for us both and he wouldn't have to pick apples for very long. I could do it, I love picking the apples in my orchard." She presented this thought to him out of love, out of pure pursuit of his daily happiness. She really did love him furiously. He was hesitant towards the idea. I mean what would he do if he didn't have his pile of apples? Yield to her pile? Her pile which he didn't agree with the way she spent her apples? He resisted. But he couldn't deny that he hated picking apples in the field that was in.
So then began the conversation. I say THE conversation because it would be the conversation that would reveal more of themselves to each other and either unlock their freedom, or solidify their stubbornness of being right. It would be a defining moment whether they wanted it to be or not.
"Why don't you want to take my suggestions" she would ask
"Why don't you just agree with me and what needs to be done" he would reply
"I was collecting apples and doing just fine before you, I know what I am doing" she rebuttals
"I also was collecting apples while taking care of a lot of people, I know how to handle this" he would add
It would continue.
They would collapse once again in defeat of not coming to an agreement and just like every morning before that one, they would wake up and tend to their orchards.
They would try again.
"Hey look, I have almost been doubling my apples every day. I could take care of us" she'd say enthusiastically
"Yea but you took apples out of your pile last month so really you are just replacing the apples you took" He'd remind her
They'd argue and retreat.
Then one day when she was out picking apples as normal, running from tree to tree to bring home even more than she did the day before, she looked at the actual tree that was growing the apples. She noticed its width, its grain, its sturdiness and then realized that she had not actually looked at the tree that was sending down these beautiful apples in so long. She sat down her basket full of apples and just sat at the base of the tree. She rubbed her hands across the bottom of the tree and felt the ground as she knew it kept going where she couldn't see. She had a thankfulness burst forth in her. These trees have been taking care of her, feeding her, clothing her, giving her more than she needed. And yet when she laid awake at night, with the anxiety of where the apples are coming from and how she can get more, the trees were out there. Growing for her, producing for her, living for her, giving her life. She spent hours at the base of the tree that day.
That night she went home excited to tell her husband about what she had seen and realized. That all of her anxiety has been unwarranted and that they should devise a plan to work together and join their apples. As she was walking home she passed by his orchard, and it was then that she saw her husband, sitting at the base of his trees, thanking them for their harvest.
If I told you that the man and woman talked about this realization and lived happily ever after, I would be lying. They did talk. They did cry. They did realize that their strength is not in the number of apples they have but in the trees of life. However some days it was still hard not to keep track of each others apples, some days it was difficult not to focus on the circumstances, some days it was still hard to not blame the other for their short comings. But in the middle of each of those disagreements they would remember what they did agree on, the gratitude and faith of the trees of life.
So every morning, before they would start their day, they would stand on the edge of their house and look out amongst the orchard. They would take in the grandness of all their trees and all that the trees are producing. They would share their gratitude and be humbled. They would join hands and walk amongst the trees together and enjoy the fruit of each one.
Then came a boy, he was the most handsomest boy. He traveled far and left his home of mostly barren trees. He had his own orchard of apples and plenty of apple seeds to plant more apple trees. They fell in love. They shared their love of freedom in the fields, the love of juicy red apples, the love of trading apples for land, toys, and silly stuff for each other. They got married.
They didn't have too many apples in their orchard in the beginning, but they didn't need them. They had enough to live on their land, enough to eat, enough to trade for the goods and stay happy together. They both had some apple deficits, some people that they owed some apples to. But since there weren't too many apples in their orchard they would pay what they could and live on the rest. Pretty quickly her apple deficit was gone. Now all that was left to tackle was his.
Then, THEN, there was a season of a outpouring of apples. They would wake up in their orchard and there would be apples all over the place. They would spend their days running around and collecting all the apples. They were so pleased and full. They would wake up the next day to more apples and more apples and spend longer days out in the field collecting all the apples. He would bring home HUGE piles of apples and she would bring home all that she could hold.
He then began separating the apples of which ones we could keep and which ones were to go to those they owed. She said no, lets pick out which ones to keep and with whats left give to those who we owe. They had very different opinions of what to do with this new outpouring of apples. He would say "They aren't really our apples if someone could come and take them" and she would say "But we don't know if these trees are going to keep producing these apples, we need to have some set aside". This argument continued for months. Even years. To where finally she had her pile and he had his.
Don't think that this ruined their love for each other. They were very much happy with their situation. She got what she wanted, he got what he wanted. He would sometimes watch her come home with "stuff" and see that her pile of apples was getting low. He would think it was foolish. But she knew that it was temporary and that in no time that pile would be overflowing again. She would watch him hand apples to family and friends. He would even come home with extravagant things for her and she would love them, but she would notice that his pile of apples were never going down. She thought "he must be borrowing apples. Why would he be borrowing apples if he said he wants to get rid of his borrowers?" but then would shrug her shoulders and focus on her pile.
Mostly their days were filled with running around for hours grasping apples anywhere they could see them. They would come home and pour their findings into their piles and then join hands and love each other passionately.
She could tell he wasn't happy picking the apples from the orchard he was in. She knew that every day he woke up that he wasn't looking forward to going out and picking apples. She would think "maybe if I run all day from tree to tree that I could pick enough apples for us both and he wouldn't have to pick apples for very long. I could do it, I love picking the apples in my orchard." She presented this thought to him out of love, out of pure pursuit of his daily happiness. She really did love him furiously. He was hesitant towards the idea. I mean what would he do if he didn't have his pile of apples? Yield to her pile? Her pile which he didn't agree with the way she spent her apples? He resisted. But he couldn't deny that he hated picking apples in the field that was in.
So then began the conversation. I say THE conversation because it would be the conversation that would reveal more of themselves to each other and either unlock their freedom, or solidify their stubbornness of being right. It would be a defining moment whether they wanted it to be or not.
"Why don't you want to take my suggestions" she would ask
"Why don't you just agree with me and what needs to be done" he would reply
"I was collecting apples and doing just fine before you, I know what I am doing" she rebuttals
"I also was collecting apples while taking care of a lot of people, I know how to handle this" he would add
It would continue.
They would collapse once again in defeat of not coming to an agreement and just like every morning before that one, they would wake up and tend to their orchards.
They would try again.
"Hey look, I have almost been doubling my apples every day. I could take care of us" she'd say enthusiastically
"Yea but you took apples out of your pile last month so really you are just replacing the apples you took" He'd remind her
They'd argue and retreat.
Then one day when she was out picking apples as normal, running from tree to tree to bring home even more than she did the day before, she looked at the actual tree that was growing the apples. She noticed its width, its grain, its sturdiness and then realized that she had not actually looked at the tree that was sending down these beautiful apples in so long. She sat down her basket full of apples and just sat at the base of the tree. She rubbed her hands across the bottom of the tree and felt the ground as she knew it kept going where she couldn't see. She had a thankfulness burst forth in her. These trees have been taking care of her, feeding her, clothing her, giving her more than she needed. And yet when she laid awake at night, with the anxiety of where the apples are coming from and how she can get more, the trees were out there. Growing for her, producing for her, living for her, giving her life. She spent hours at the base of the tree that day.
That night she went home excited to tell her husband about what she had seen and realized. That all of her anxiety has been unwarranted and that they should devise a plan to work together and join their apples. As she was walking home she passed by his orchard, and it was then that she saw her husband, sitting at the base of his trees, thanking them for their harvest.
If I told you that the man and woman talked about this realization and lived happily ever after, I would be lying. They did talk. They did cry. They did realize that their strength is not in the number of apples they have but in the trees of life. However some days it was still hard not to keep track of each others apples, some days it was difficult not to focus on the circumstances, some days it was still hard to not blame the other for their short comings. But in the middle of each of those disagreements they would remember what they did agree on, the gratitude and faith of the trees of life.
So every morning, before they would start their day, they would stand on the edge of their house and look out amongst the orchard. They would take in the grandness of all their trees and all that the trees are producing. They would share their gratitude and be humbled. They would join hands and walk amongst the trees together and enjoy the fruit of each one.
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